Not sure if I really want more services offering more options, when I can’t keep up with is already available eg I bought the 5 DVD set of Mark Cousins’ wonderful The Story of Film: An Odyssey and after 10 days, have only managed two hours of the fifteen hours.I agree that the attitude that everything is–or should be–free, poses a real threat to creatives, particularly those working in local TV and film. When students offer me downloads, I decline and ask them if they have thought of the implications of what they are doing.

I agree that the attitude that everything is–or should be–free, poses a real threat to creatives

And yet it's actually quite hard to figure out how best to get your money to the actual creatives. My solution of buying the blu-rays may be wrong. I know buying CDs isn't the best possible thing for musicians but it's better than some other options. The few times I have gone to a concert I have bought the CDs at the show because I figure that has to get more money to them, doesn't it?

But music is easy compared to TV programs. Do Russell and team have DVDs for sale at the filming of Media7? Not last time I went but maybe they're thinking about it now :).

A related question about having to buy the whole nine yards when you only want 2.5cm or so ... what possible reason is there (other than that telecoms companies are bastards) for not being able to buy a given amount of date for use on a mobile device and using it at any rate you want? I bought an iPad but eschewed the 3G/4G version because I thought it was unlikely I would want to use it more than half a dozen times a year, to check an address or whatever, but I had to buy a shitload of data that would expire if unused after 30 days. Forgive me if this is a how-do-you-operate-a-photocopier kind of question.

And my thing is music, mostly because I have friends who are musicians. My flatmate, who’s worked in television, won’t pirate TV shows, but is happy to download music.

There are massive grey areas in music. Lots of what I find via places like the Hype Machine and Soundcloud is of uncertain status, but it's basically tolerated, either because it drives music discovery or because rights-holders can't be bothered to chase up every obscure remix and re-edit.

I have occasionally picked up very obscure albums from specialist MP3 blogs. But I will (almost) never torrent music or use Megaupload-type sites to grab whole albums, let alone artist catalogues. It's nasty, impersonal and basically a dick move.

A related question about having to buy the whole nine yards when you only want 2.5cm or so … what possible reason is there (other than that telecoms companies are bastards) for not being able to buy a given amount of date for use on a mobile device and using it at any rate you want?

Yes, they're bastards. There's no bloody excuse for having data allocations expire after a month -- and it doesn't happen in many other countries. But Vodafone does let you spend as little as $20 for 250MB, which is okay for trips away.

I tend to use my iPhone as a Wifi hotspot for my iPad now, given that I generally can't use up all the data on that either.

I have to believe that yes it would - I don't steal TV because it's free, I steal it because I can't get it any other way. There will always be those folk who decide to flout the law regardless and I have no sympathy with those that are getting copyright notices for downloading music that is readily and cheaply available (although selling your soul to Rhianna is not exactly cheap in my book)...

The problem currently is that we are training an entire generation of customers that copyright has no monetary value, and that the only way to enjoy content is to steal it. That worries me an awful lot.

I downloaded GoT season 1 because I _couldn't_ pay for it, even though I wanted to. Now season 2 is available at usorious prices from Sky, I'm not downloading it, I'm just waiting for the DVD/Bluray. Even if I actually paid approaching $100 a month to Sky just to watch GoT, the compression on the SoHo broadcast would have me chasing them for a refund for false advertising - they shouldn't be allowed to call that HD.

The production values on Game of Thrones seem so high, that it seems a shame you can't see it on a big movie screen, I wonder if they might not take the reverse action (now that so many cinemas seem to be going digital) and also package it for a cinematic release?

I have to believe that yes it would - I don't steal TV because it's free, I steal it because I can't get it any other way.

My downloading has effectively dried up since I came to the US. That's partly because our household income has multiplied, and mostly because pretty much anything I want is available online for a fairly reasonable cost. It's basically my favourite thing about the place.

Which isn't to say I haven't downloaded anything since we came here, but it's been restricted to things I absolutely couldn't get over here or that weren't available on any of the many, many paid/ad-included content services. I suppose that's the caveat; when you can get nearly anything for a reasonable price, it becomes that much more annoying when one thing is inexplicably not available without waiting for the DVDs. Hence the Oatmeal GoT comic.

Relevant, I think, is this discussion on Forbes - check out the linked articles at the bottom, too - on the whys and wherefores of HBO's decision to not make their shows available for legal download. Short version: they don't think it's economical (yet).

There was a good Studio 360 interview with Steven Moffat (not sure if it'll play in NZ; uncut interview further down page). He dismisses Americans downloading his shows after the British broadcast as greedy people not willing to wait, but I think there's more to it than that. Watching at the same time allows you to be part of a community.

Tom & Lorenzo (and latterly Amanda Marcotte) add to my experience of watching Mad Men, and then there's the fun of arguing over the show with other fans. Same with Dr Who, Sherlock, GoT... These conversations can be fun with friends and workmates, but it isn't enough if you're a fanatic.

There are large swathes of the internet you can't visit without spoilers. I don't want to avoid the best fan hubs because they're a season ahead.

And when it comes to competitive reality TV, you've got to be up-to-date. Latrice Royale posted to Facebook about her elimination from RuPaul's Drag Race before I watched it streaming on Logo's site, so my tears weren't so fresh. (Best Show Ever. Seriously.) Following the participants' facebook and twitter was an experience that you'd miss out on watching months later.

Reading this thread is enlightening (up to a point) but also depressing.

Our b/band is so JohnKey/shonky that we can't even set up a Skype account, never mind torrenting stuff that might or might not be legally available.(Maybe the Skype failure was weather-related; we're talking Monday in west Auckland here...)

But I am getting well past the point of 'keeping up' with contemporary culture - I simply don't have the time or the inclination to be watching lots of tv. I will just continue to pick & choose what I want to watch at my time-shifted leisure, and lament the demise of TVNZ7, our last bastion of 'brain-live' local television.

I’m guessing there is some kind of perfect storm there with the targeted audience also being the one most likely to have the knowledge and skills to download it.

It also happens to have excellent talent, high production values and cracking plot-lines.

I watch it on Soho via MySky, it's just easier that way. I'm assuming there will be other good shows on Soho (e.g. Strikeback), so I'm happy to pay the fee. Sure, I'd like more competition in this area to drive down prices, but I'm glad that I'm financially supporting this very fine TV series.

I tried to love it, really tried, but in the end decided it was a soap opera in animal furs (the book was unreadable). After about three months, I ditched the Soho sub in favour of Rialto, and like everyone else would rather not be paying for E! and most of the other tripe on Sky's basic sub. I'd happily pay $10 to watch a rugby test if I didn't have to cough up for the monthly sub.

Well, fair dealing is the use of part of a work for the various purposes permitted: review/criticism, current affairs reporting, and education. How do you use part of a photograph in any meaningful way in any of those situations? Given that there are vague thresholds defining how much "part of" is too much "part of" for print and video, one can roughly know how much is allowable. Those mediums are multi-part and snippets can be used without having to use the whole thing. The same is really not possible with a photograph.